Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Monk's

When I lived in Lancaster, PA in the early 80's, the cheese steak sandwich was a regular part of my diet. My friends and I would walk down to Mama Mia's on James St., put a quarter in the jukebox to hear Rush's "Tom Sawyer," and stuff our faces with the east-coast classic.

I haven't had a real cheese steak in years; people around here just don't know how to make them (don't bother with the Subway version). But I had one yesterday.

Monk's Cheese Steaks and Cheeseburgers in the Northeast Shopping Center knows exactly how to make them. Visiting Monk's is like taking a little trip to an everyday New York eatery, complete with an airbrushed mural on the wall featuring the Twin Towers. The staff is friendly in that New York kind of way, the place is immaculate, and the cheese steaks ... oh, yes.

The meat comes handsomely piled on the soft bun, laced with just the right amount of gooey cheese, onions, peppers, and seasoning. The fries were hot and delicious and the service was fast. The only complaint comes from my cardiologist.

East coasters, if you've been missing your cheese steaks, you now have a place to go to calm your cravings.

Monk's Cheese Steaks and Cheeseburgers
1030 Summit Avenue
275-1105

Update: Ed Cone reminds me that Beth has also reviewed Monk's cheesesteaks, also fulsomely.

Update II: Ed likes Monk's cheese steaks too, and found out that our blog reviews are bringing Monk (aka Tito Rogriguez) some customers.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry, but the "gooey cheese" stuff that looks like Velveta is vastly inferior to any steak made with a few slices of real provelone. In my neighborhood (I grew up in Wilmington, DE), that was always the topper. Yeah, I know, those bozos in Philly all use the "gooey cheeese"...but they don't know from squat. Oh,....and no mayonaise ...ever!! (Jam's please take note).

Bill 'Billopad' Wood said...

I ate there today - thanks for the blog on it, for it was a yummy sandwich at a good value.

My buddy Dave had the cheeseburger; said it was superb.

5 dollar lunch deal for the Burger, with Fries and Drink.

7 bucks for the Cheesesteak Deal.

It is very close to NC A&T, so it might be a good place for lunch seekers this Saturday.

David Wharton said...

Anon, nothing against provolone, but I also love Velveeta.

Anonymous said...

Different strokes for different folks, David. I'll be trying Monk's anyway -- but will definitely be requesting "no Velveeta." If they can produce the provolone, great...otherwise, I'll have a steak instead of a cheese steak. If you ever find yourself in Delaware, search out the nearest Casapulla's sub shop. There's at least a half dozen of them, so no matter where you are in the "small wonder" state, you'll be no more than 30 minutes away. Order the large cheesesteak with grilled onions and peppers, and get a large Italian sub to go for dinner. I promise it will rock your world... Thank me later.

Bill 'Billopad' Wood said...

I have heard that Monk's is going out of business :(

Anonymous said...

It appears that the owner might just want to transition the management. My cousin is the 'chef' and may want to take over the reins. Don't woory, they will still be around